Rotary abrasive flap wheel



Jan. 7, 1964 A, BLOCK ROTARY ABRASIVE FLAP WHEEL Filed Jan. 24, 1961 United States Patent O RUTARY ABRASIVE IILAP WHEEL Aleelr Bloch, Les Angeles, Calif., assigner to .Merit Irnducts, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporanon f Caliiernia Filed Jan. 24, 1961, Ser. No. 84,723 6 Claims. (Cl. 5l193.5)

This invention relates to articles for providing an abrading action and more particularly relates to articles for providing an abrading action on the complete surface of a blind hole.

In modern industry, the need to polish surfaces and make such surfaces smooth is becoming increasingly important. One type of article used to polish surfaces is an abrasive wheel formed from a plurality of iiaps disposed in an annularly stacked relationship. Each of the iiaps is formed from a thin liexible sheet having a pair of oppositely disposed surfaces with abrasive material on at least one of the surfaces. When the wheel is rotated, successive ones of the annularly disposed flaps rub against the surface to be polished such that the abrasive materials on the flaps produce a smoothing action on the surface.

In spite of considerable effort to perfect an abrasive Wheel for all purposes, the abrasive Wheels now in use are not advantageous under all circumstances, particularly when the abrasive flaps in the wheel have a relatively narrow face width. For example, when the surface to be polished constitutes a blind hole the abrasive wheels have not been able to polish the full surface of the blind hole and particularly the portion of the surface constituting the axial extremity of the hole. This results from the fact that the abrasive wheels now in use are so constructed that the members required to hold the flaps in an annularly stacked relationship project axially beyond the lateral extremities of the flaps. Such members accordingly prevent the lateral extremities of the iiaps from er1- gaging the blind hole near the axial extremity of the hole.

This invention provides an abrasive wheel which overcomes the above diliiculties. In the wheel constituting this invention, the members holding the liaps in an annularly stacked relationship are disposed at an interior position relative to the lateral extremities of the iiaps. This allows the lateral extremities of the liaps to engage the blind hole along the full length of the hole so as to polish the complete surface deiining the hole when the wheel is rotated. The wheel constituting this invention is further advantageous because it accomplishes the polishing action on the complete surface defining the blind hole without changing the shape of the flaps or Without weakening the iiaps so that the liaps become sheared as the wheel is rotated.

The abrasive wheel constituting this invention includes a plurality of flaps which are disposed in an annularly stacked relationship and which are provided with an abrasive material on at least one of its surfaces. Each of the iiaps is grooved in one of its lateral edges to define a neck portion between the grooves. A ring made from a suitable material such as steel is disposed within the groove in each flap to retain the flap in the annularly stacked relationship. The ring is disposed entirely Within the grooves in the iiaps such that the lateral edges of the flaps define the lateral extremities of the abrasive wheel. A support band is also supported by the abrasive wheel within the hollow center of the wheel. The support band in turn supports a pair of plates on the opposite sides ofthe band. The plates are formed to lit entirely within the hollow center of the abrasive Wheel so that the lateral edges of the flaps deiine the lateral extremities of the abrasive Wheel. The plates are constructed to support an arbor Which drives the Wheel through the successive revolutions.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a partially exploded sectional view of the abrasive wheel constituting this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view substantially on the line 2 2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view substantially on the line 3 3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view which illustrates a plurality of iiaps included in the abrasive wheel constituting this invention, one of the flaps being bent to indicate abrasive material on a surface of the liap, and which further illustrates a ring for retaining the flaps in an annularly stacked relationship; and

FIGURE 5 is a somewhat schematic view illustrating the stacking ot' the flaps in the abrasive wheel constituting this invention.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, a plurality of flaps generally indicated at It) are provided. Each of the liaps lll is preferably made from a thin sheet of a suitable material defined by a pair of oppositely disposed surfaces. An abrasive material 12 is disposed on one of the surfaces of each ap. The abrasive surface of each liap lll is preferably defined by a rectangular configuration having a bottom longitudinal edge 14 and a pair of lateral edges 16 and 18. The lateral edges 16 and 18 are respectively provided with grooves Ztl and 22 at intermediate positions along their lengths, the grooves being disposed to dene neck portions between the grooves. As will be seen, the grooves Ztl and 22 are provided along only relatively short distances of the lateral edges 16 and 13 such that the lateral edges deiine continuous surfaces on opposite sides of the grooves.

The flaps 1S are disposed in an annularly stacked relationship with the bottom edges ld of the ilaps being attached to an annular core 26. The core 26 is made from a suitable material such as cardboard. A suitable adhesive such as an epoxy resin or a White vinyl glue may be used to attach the flaps I@ to the core 26. A suitable method of attaching the bottom edges 14 of the iiaps 1d to the core 26 is fully disclosed and claimed in Patent 2,796,337 issued to me on June 18, 1957.

After the iiaps lll have been attached to the core 26, steel reinforcing rings 2S and 3i) are respectively disposed in the grooves 16 and 18 and are attached to the iiaps 10 as by a suitable cement such as an epoxy resin or a White vinyl glue. The reinforcing rings 28 and 30 are preferably formed from a suitable metal such as steel and are disposed entirely within the grooves 16 and 1S. In this way, the lateral edges 16 and IS still dene the lateral extremities of the abrasive wheel constituting this invention. The rings 23 and 3) are attached to the iiaps 16 and 1S to retain the flaps in the annularly stacked relationship, especially when the iaps are subjected to forces imposed by the surface to be polished during the rotation of the abrasive Wheel. The use of steel reinforcing rings corresponding to the rings 28 and 3l) is fully disclosed in Patent 2,651,894 issued to Guy O. Leggett on September 15, 1953.

An annular support band 36 is disposed within the core 26 and is suitably attached to the core as by a suitable cement such as the epoxy resin or the white vinyl glue. The support band 36 may be made from a suitable material such as cardboard. The support band 35 is provided with an axial length somewhat less than that of the core 26. The band 36 is disposed within the core 25 at an intermediate position along the length of the core. It will be appreciated that the band 36 may be formed in integral relationship with the core 26.

A pair of annular plates 49 and 42 made from a suitable material such as steel are disposed against the band 36 at opposite axial ends of the band. The plates 40 and 42 are preferably provided with annular flanges ld and 46 at their annular peripheries to provide a reinforcing action in holding the abrasive wheel constituting this invention during the rotation of the Wheel. The plates 40 and lft2 are respectively provided with central holes 4S and Si) to receive an arbor 52. The arbor 52 is threaded at one end to receive a nut 54. At its other end, the arbor 52 is formed to receive a chuck (not shown) for driving the arbor and the abrasive wheel mounted on the arbor.

The plates 40 and 42 help to maintain the core 26 rigid so that the core 26 provides a firm support for the iiaps even when the flaps are being rubbed against a surface during the rotation of the core.

The plates 49 and 42 are formed to press against the axial ends of the band 36 when the nut 54 is tightened on the threaded end of the arbor 52. By maintaining the plates 40 and 42 pressed against the axial ends of the band 36, the plates are prevented from becoming skewed by slippage within the core 26. The plates il and 4t2 are also formed so as to be disposed entirely within the annular space within the core 26 when the plates are pressed against the axial ends of the band 35. In this Way, the lateral ends of the flaps 1d still define the lateral extremities of the abrasive wheel constituting this invention. Because of this, the lateral ends of the flaps 10, and particularly the lateral ends 16 of the aps, are able to rub against the surface defining the extremity of a blind hole and to polish the surface as the abrasive wheel constituting this invention is rotated.

The abrasive wheel constituting this invention has certain important advantages. As ywill be seen from the above discussion, one advantage results from the disposition of all members within the abrasive wheel so that the lateral ends 16 of the `liaps il@ dene the lateral extremity of the wheel. Another advantage results from the conguration of the flaps 19 and particularly from the fact that the grooves 2t) and 22 in the flaps are relatively shallow. This causes the distance of the neck portion between the grooves and 22 in each tiap to be relatively great in comparison to the full lateral dimensions of the ap between the lateral edges 16 and 18. Since the grooves 2l) and 22 are relatively shallow, any tendency for the iiaps to tear or shear at the neck portion between the grooves is minimized when the abrasive wheel constituting this invention is pressed against a surface to be polished and is rotated.

Although this application has been disclosed and illustrated with reference to particular applications, the principles involved are susceptible of numerous other applications which will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. The invention is, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination for providing an abrading action, a plurality of iiaps each having an abrasive material on at least one face of the Hap and each being defined along at least a portion of a particular edge by a continuous configuration, a hollow core cooperative with the flaps for positioning the fiaps in an annular relationship defining a hollow center, a band extending from the core into the hollow center oi the core at a position intermediate the opposite ends of the core, means extending into the flaps at an intermediate position along the continuous portion of the particular edge of the flaps to retain the flaps in the annular relationship without extending outwardly beyond the particular edge, and a pair of plates disposed within the core and aUainst the band in the hollow center of the core `for holding the flaps for rotation without extending beyond the particular edge of the flaps.

2. In combination for providing an abrading action, a plurality of iiaps each having a pair of oppositely disposed surfaces and each having abrasive material on at least one of the surfaces, each of the liaps having a particular edge defining one extremity of the flap, means extending into the fiaps at the particular edges of the aps for retaining the flaps in an annularly stacked relationship with the particular edges of the flaps extending beyond the retaining means and with the iiaps defining a hollow center, a hollow core disposed within the hollow center defined by the fiaps and supporting the flaps for rotation, the hollow core being constructed and disposed relative to the flaps to provide an extension of the particular edges of the flaps beyond the supporting means, the hollow core being provided with a band extending into the hollow center of the core at a position intermediate the oppositely disposed surfaces of the flaps, a pair of plates disposed within the hollow core at the opposite ends of the core and disposed against the band and disposed inwardly relative to the oppositely disposed surfaces of the iiaps.

3. In combination for providing an abrading action, a plurality of aps each in the form of a thin sheet defined by a pair of opposite surfaces, there being abrading material on iat least one of the surfaces of each flap, a hollow core attached to the aps at a first end of each of the llaps transverse to the pair of opposite surfaces, and disposed in a hollow annular configuration to provide a backing for the flaps `and to provide a disposition of the iiaps in an annularly stacked relationship, a ring extending into the iiaps at one of the opposite surfaces and constructed and disposed to retain the ilaps in the stacked relationship and to provide an external disposition of the opposite surfaces on the liaps relative to the ring, a band extending from the hollow core into the hollow annular region within the core at a position intermediate the pair of opposite surfaces of the flaps, and at least one plate disposed within the core and against the band and constructed and disposed to provide a rigidity to the abrading combination and to provide for a rotation of the abrading combination and to provide an external disposition of the opposite surfaces on the ilaps relative to the plate.

4. In combination for providing an abrading action, a plurality of flaps each in the form of a thin sheet defined by a pair of opposite sufaces, there being abrading material on at least one of the opposite surfaces of each of the flaps in the plurality, each of the iiaps having a particular edge tnansvcrse to the pair of opposite surfaces to define one extremity, there being a groove in each of the flaps at an intermediate position along the length of the particular edge, a hollow annular core supporting the iiaps in an annularly stacked relationship at one of the pair of opposite surfaces on the flaps with the flaps extending radially outwardly from the core, the core being provided with a pair of axial ends, a ring disposed within the grooves of the flaps at ia position internally of the particular edges of the flaps to retain the flaps in the annularly stacked relationship, a support band extending from the core toward the center of the core at a position within the core and intermediate the opposite axial ends of the core, and at least one backing plate disposed within the core and supported against the support band and disposed internally of the particular edge of the fiaps for supporting the annular core and the iiaps and the ring for rotation.

5. The combination set forth in claim 3 wherein the plate is provided with a central hole and wherein an arbor extends through the central hole in the plate and through the hollow core and wherein the plate is bowed inwardly at Ithe central position `and wherein fastening means are attached to `the arbor at the bowed configuration of the plate to maintain the plate in iixed relationship to the core and the arbor and wherein the fastening means are disposed internally of the opposite surfaces on the flaps.

6. The combination set forth in claim 4 wherein the 10 backing plate is provided with a central hole and wherein an arbor extends through the hollow core and through the central hole in the backing plate and wherein the end of the arbor is threaded and wherein the backing plate is bowed inwardly toward the band at the position of the central hole and wherein a nut is screwed on the threaded end of the arbor and is disposed within the bowed portion of the backing plate and internally of the particular 5 edge of the flaps.

References Cited in the lile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,023,807 Brinkman Apr. 23, 1912 2,808,689 Thomson et al Oct. 8, 1957 3,004,373 Brooks Oct. 17, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 827,458 Germany Jan. 10, 1952 

1. IN COMBINATION FOR PROVIDING AN ABRADING ACTION, A PLURALITY OF FLAPS EACH HAVING AN ABRASIVE MATERIAL ON AT LEAST ONE FACE OF THE FLAP AND EACH BEING DEFINED ALONG AT LEAST A PORTION OF A PARTICULAR EDGE BY A CONTINUOUS CONFIGURATION, A HOLLOW CORE COOPERATIVE WITH THE FLAPS FOR POSITIONING THE FLAPS IN AN ANNULAR RELATIONSHIP DEFINING A HOLLOW CENTER, A BAND EXTENDING FROM THE CORE INTO THE HOLLOW CENTER OF THE CORE AT A POSITION INTERMEDIATE THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE CORE, MEANS EXTENDING INTO THE FLAPS AT AN INTERMEDIATE POSITION ALONG THE CONTINUOUS PORTION OF THE PARTICULAR EDGE OF THE FLAPS TO RETAIN THE FLAPS IN THE ANNULAR RELATIONSHIP WITHOUT EXTENDING OUTWARDLY BEYOND THE PARTICULAR EDGE, AND A PAIR OF PLATES DISPOSED WITHIN THE CORE AND AGAINST THE BAND IN THE HOLLOW CENTER OF THE CORE FOR HOLDING THE FLAPS FOR ROTATION WITHOUT EXTENDING BEYOND THE PARTICULAR EDGE OF THE FLAPS. 